Are You at Risk for Kidney Disease? Measure Your Hip to Waist Ratio

by DailyHealthPost Editorial

By now, it’s fairly common knowledge that fat carried in the abdominal region is more dangerous than fat carried in other areas of the bottom. New research has shown that those who tend to carry most of their fat in the belly area are at higher risk for kidney disease than those who have a more even distribution of fat.

The New Study

Researchers from the Netherlands measured the body fat distribution of over 300 subjects in good health by looking at the waist-hip ratio, which looks at the size difference between the circumference between the waist and the hips, of those in the study.

The researchers found that even among those in good health, those with a more significant difference between the waist and hips (where the hips are larger, of course) tended to have better kidney function. The kidneys filtered better and had better rates of flow in those with a large WHR (waist-hip ratio), indicating that a low WHR may eventually lead to kidney disease or even failure.

What It Means for You

Of course, waist-to-hip ratio isn’t a guarantee of anything, but it does look to be a better indicator of health than traditional measurements like BMI.

In addition to suggesting a link between WHR and kidney disease, researchers have  found that those with a larger difference between these measurements tended to have lower risk of heart disease, as well as overall mortality.

Knowing your body type may help you understand the type of health issues that you might face in the future.

According to Fox’s report on the subject, those with “apple-shaped” bodies tend to have the lowest WHR ratio and be at the highest risk for associated health issues. Check out this video to learn how to measure your own waist-hip ratio to find out if you’re at risk for kidney disease:

How to Find Your Waist to Hip Ratio

Sources:

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  • https://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/04/12/apple-shaped-body-type-linked-with-kidney-disease-study-finds/
  • https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20071210/waist-hips-may-predict-heart-disease
  • https://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/early/2013/04/09/ASN.2012050460.abstract
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